Slate Tablet Lives Again, Thanks to eviGroup

Image Credit: UMPC PortalIt’s not often these days that I get to write about a new slate tablet powered by Microsoft Windows, so I’m going to savor this for a while. I’m talking about the eviGroup Pad that Steve just added to the database over at UMPC Portal. I’d say the Pad is an evolutionary upgrade to the Samsung Q1UP that I still have, although that ol’ gal now runs Android 1.6 for the moment, not Windows. EviGroup’s Pad, selling for 599 euros ($885), is essentially composed of netbook guts tucked into a 10.6″ slate tablet with a 1024 x 600 resistive touchscreen. It runs Windows 7 Home Premium, so all of the Tablet PC functions are there, but it will be a challenge to use them effectively without an active digitizer. Here’s a rundown on the specs for those pining for an updated UMPC:

  • Intel Atom N270 – 1.6GHz
  • 1 GB of RAM in a single slot — it should take a 2GB memory module
  • 2.5″ 160GB hard drive
  • Integrated 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, 3G, but no Bluetooth (a huge omission, in my opinion)
  • Microphone and 0.3-megapixel webcam
  • Weight of 990 grams, or right around 2 pounds
  • VGA out and three USB ports

EviGroup estimates the actual battery life in real-world conditions to be around 3 to 3.5 hours, although they do say if you stress the Pad out with lots of YouTube vids on full brightness over 3G, that figure will drop to around 2 to 2.5 hours. You know, depending on the components used for the Pad, you could always try to install Mac OS X and make your own Apple slate tablet. Hmm…this type of project has been done before.

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